Harbert will demolish La Paree site as hotel project expands

Harbert Realty Services said today it will demolish the vacant La Paree restaurant -- once a favorite downtown dining spot -- to add more space for its $52 million hotel project at the site of the former Regions Financial Corp. headquarters.

Construction will start on the $52 million downtown hotel later this year.

La Paree has been closed since December 2003 and the building on Fifth Avenue North has become an eyesore since. The restaurant had been in business for 60 years before it shut down.

Harbert Realty, which is developing the Marriott Renaissance, said the move will permit expanded restaurant and ballroom space at the hotel.

"As we've worked to finalize the design of the rooms and the banquet facilities, we've seen that having any extra space would be a huge asset to the project," said Harbert Realty CEO Harry Lynch.